Bajan Balance

From a distance I saw a man walking up the Scarborough Gap with a living room chair on top of his head. You couldn’t miss him as he turned on the main road which has no sidewalk. He did not seem bothered by the cars, vans, and busses whizzing by within inches! In Barbados you see people carrying some strange things on their heads. I was able to capture a few of them for this post.

Once the older generation dies out you will no longer see what was once a common practice in Barbados. Head-loading is still very common in various parts of the world especially for women  in Africa and India. The fact is most people who carry water or any items on their heads do so out of necessity.  Most people in Barbados have access to a car and everyone has access to vans and busses. I will probably never see a teenager use their head to transport items because  they use backpacks like the kids in the US and Canada and probably most countries.

The older generations did not begin with carrying big water jugs. They started as children with lighter things like a a pan of water or a pan of sand from the beach. They developed a balanced gait (walk) and over time they strengthened neck and core muscles.

Sandra’s cousin Beryl said that as a young woman she and her sister went to the store to buy beer. They both put a couple of cases of beer on their heads and walked the mile or so back home. As they walked and talked as Bajans do with hands gesturing, heads turning and laughing out loud they noticed people looking at them. It wasn’t until they reached home that they were told that people in this Canadian suburb were not used to seeing people head-carrying, it amazed them!

What amazes me is some of the pictures that I’ve seen with women selling mauby from a jug or container perched on top of their heads. The pictures show them reaching arms length above their head to turn the spicket to fill a glass of ice cold mauby held in front of their face.

Sandra told me when she was a child that a woman sold snacks near her primary school that had a similar set up. She knew where each item was and could pick the snacks without looking or lowering her tray.

Researchers  have found that people can carry loads of up to 20% of their body weight without expending any extra energy beyond what they’d use by walking around unencumbered.  They also say the developed gait is one-third more efficient than a normal walk. So, a 100 pound woman can carry 20 pounds and a 200 pound man can carry up to 40 pounds or more on their head.

Sandra showed me how they used to roll a towel then wrap it in a circular pattern for padding for the heavier items. She never really had to carry water because her older brothers were given that task.

I asked her to demonstrate by using an empty 5 gallon bucket and she lasted about 4 steps. When I laughed she said “You try it!” Admittedly, I do yoga most days of the week and I work on my balance often.  So I figured with an empty bucket, no problem. In all of my attempts, I never made it past 2 steps before I had to put my hand to steady the bucket. I was told it may have been easier if the bucket was full. Or, maybe I should have tried to balance using a yoga tree pose.